October 14, Catahoula NWR Headquarters Unit (La Salle Parish)

   I plan on doing another Big Post later this Fall, picking up where the "Spring and Summer on Catahoula NWR" post left off and covering observations at least through October. However, I thought that this day's birding was too good not to do a purely-bird blog post while the subject matter was still fresh. A full account of the day's wildlife and wildflowers will be in the future post mentioned above.

Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge, Headquarters Unit
10/14/2017
6:41 am to 11:34 am
*Conditions: 64 to 80 degrees F., sunny, near calm for the most part w/ some light breeze.
*Water level marker at north end of Duck Lake showed approx. 34.5 feet.
*I birded driving a section of the refuge loop, including the north end of Duck Lake and then back to the east leg of the loop as far as the gated side road that leads to east side of Duck Lake. Numerous stops. Longest stops at N end of Duck Lake and at farthest point I traveled down east side of loop.
Habitat shots:

North end of Duck Lake -- This is where the shorebird action was, as well as most of the swallows, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, and from here I heard two individuals of each of the owl species on the day's list. However, with the roadsides and levee freshly mowed, there won't be as much appeal for the sparrows that will be arriving any day now as there could be.

The first stretch of the east leg of the loop. This straight section basically runs along the La Salle - Catahoula Parish line.

The farthest that I went that morning, the entrance to the gated side road east of Duck Lake. Hanging out here a while, I found the day's Hooded Warbler, Am. Redstart, N. Parula, RB Grosbeak, and many of the day's other woodland birds, and lucked into the flyover A.W. Pelicans, W. Stork, and G.WF Geese.

The List:
53 sp., 2 additional taxa

Greater White-fronted Goose - (FOS) 33

Greater White-fronted Geese

Greater White-fronted Geese

Blue-winged Teal - 14
Northern Shoveler - 11
Northern Pintail - 90
duck sp. - 35 (distant / bad lighting / bunched together - probably mostly additional BW Teal and N. Shovelers)

Wood Stork - 1

American White Pelican - (FOS) 16

Great Blue Heron - 2
Great Egret - 5
Snowy Egret - 3

Black Vulture - 64
Turkey Vulture - 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 -  My first definite sighting of the season, though I saw what was "probably" one a couple of months ago
Red-shouldered Hawk - 2

American Avocet - (FOS) 165

American Avocets

    The American Avocets stole the show this morning. 165-ish of these attractive, energetic, elegant-looking, and graceful birds gathered in the north part of Duck Lake. Smaller groups kept joining up, eventually forming larger clusters that foraged together, sweeping there bills back-and-forth through the water, and promenading this way, then that. They're just really fun to watch.

clusters of American Avocets foraging together

For a while, these two hung out across the levee from the lake, closer to the road, in the company of a Greater Yellowlegs, some Killdeer, a Great Egret, and a rather pushy Snowy Egret...

close-up of foraging

...Lot's of Avocets...

Whew! ...Ok. What's next?

Killdeer - 6
Stilt Sandpiper - (FOS) 6
Long-billed Dowitcher - 60

Foraging Long-billed Dowitchers

...And away they go....

Wilson's Snipe - (FOS) 1

Wilson's Snipe

   I was very pleased to have the chance to photograph and video an often shy Wilson's Snipe before it slunk off into the mud and grass.

Greater Yellowlegs - 10

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs - 4

 (video: yellowlegs & dowitchers)

Black Tern (FOS) - 3 (Seems to be a somewhat late date to be finding this species here.)

Mourning Dove - 1

Eastern Screech-Owl - 2
Great Horned Owl - 2 (a pair vocalizing)
Barred Owl - 5

Belted Kingfisher - 2

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 5
Downy Woodpecker - 2
Northern Flicker - 3
Pileated Woodpecker - 3

Eastern Phoebe - 1

White-eyed Vireo - 2

Blue Jay - 7
American Crow - 9

Tree Swallow - 270

Tree Swallows were on the move this morning; the groups creating little swarms when they lingered around an attractive spot .

Tree Swallows skimming over the water

Barn Swallow - 4

Carolina Chickadee - 5
Tufted Titmouse - 3

Carolina Wren - 8

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 3

Gray Catbird - 1

Common Yellowthroat - 1
Hooded Warbler - 1
American Redstart - 1

female-type American Redstart

Northern Parula - 1

Eastern Towhee - 2

Summer Tanager - 1
Northern Cardinal - 9
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1
Indigo Bunting - 4 (One unexpectedly sang a full rendition of the song one time.)

Eastern Meadowlark - 1
Red-winged Blackbird - 4
Common Grackle - 30

*I might have glimpsed a Baltimore Oriole up in the trees, among the thick foliage, but wasn't able to relocate that bird for a clear look. Something sure looked orange-and-black for a second there, though!
*There were possibly other warblers w/ the Redstart and Parula. Thick foliage up in the trees and the breeze starting to stir made it tough to get good looks at the small birds moving about up there. (Was there more than those two species plus BG Gnatcatcher and C Chickadee?).
*Initially I suspected that some of the dowitchers I saw were Short-billed mixed in with the groups of Long-billed, but I couldn't confirm that when I went back through the photos and videos. I edited "dowitcher sp." out of the list once it was pointed out by THE AUTHORITY ON LOUISIANA BIRD STUFF that it was highly unlikely that Short-billed would be present here as late in the season as October (Short-billed being most likely in August). Safe to assume they're all Long-billed.
*A number of species that would normally be detected, or that I'd have expected today, were missing. That list should probably include Bald Eagle, Wood Duck, Anhinga, Black-necked Stilt, Spotted Sandpiper, Northern Mockingbird, and at least a couple of more wading birds (maybe Tricolored Heron and White Ibis, for example), among others.

    Anyway, it was a lot of fun getting to see the flurry of activity that fall migration CAN be but oftentimes ISN'T (too often, in my experience in the past couple of years). Maybe the cold front that's about to arrive will bring some of the Essential Basic Set winter birds, such as White-throated Sparrow and Yellow-rumped Warbler. It's about time.
*edit on 10/18/17: FOS Yellow-rumped Warblers were on 10/16 and FOS White-throated Sparrows were on 10/17, both at this location.